1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device (a driver IC) that drives a display device such as an LCD panel.
2. Conventional Art
Conventionally, in order to realize a single chip driver IC with many outputs and narrow pitches for driving an LCD panel, within the chip, a large gap needs to be provided between a segment signal output section and a common signal output section for wirings, or a large output pitch in the common signal output section needs to be provided in view of the mounting balance.
However, this causes a problem in that the chip size of the driver IC becomes larger. Also, when the number of output signals becomes greater, it becomes more difficult to route wirings from the driver IC to an LCD panel, and a frame portion of the LCD panel becomes larger. Furthermore, there is a problem in that wirings of the LCD panel are thin, such that the image quality thereof deteriorates.
Thus, in view of the problems described above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device with many outputs, which facilitates wiring to an image display apparatus and realizes a stable mounting.
To solve the problems described above, a semiconductor device in accordance with the present invention pertains to a semiconductor device for supplying a first group of drive signals to a first group of signal electrodes and a second group of drive signals to a second group of signal electrodes of an image display apparatus that displays a two-dimensional image, the semiconductor device comprising: a first group of output terminals that are arranged in a first region along a first edge in a longitudinal direction of the semiconductor device, and that output a specified number of drive signals among the first group of drive signals to the image display apparatus; a second group of output terminals that are arranged in a second region along the first edge and adjacent to the first region, and that output the second group of drive signals to the image display apparatus; a third group of output terminals that are arranged in a third region along the first edge and adjacent to the second region, and that output the remaining drive signals among the first group of drive signals to the image display apparatus; a first bi-directional register that supplies the first group of drive signals, which are successively input, to the first group of output terminals, respectively, in an order determined by a control signal; a second bi-directional register that is cascade-connected to the first bi-directional register and that supplies the first group of drive signals, which are successively input, to the third group of output terminals, respectively, in an order determined by a control signal; a first group of dummy terminals arranged corresponding to the first group of output terminals along a second edge in the longitudinal direction of the semiconductor device; and a second group of dummy terminals arranged corresponding to the third group of output terminals along the second edge.
Here, the image display apparatus may be a liquid crystal display apparatus, the first group of drive signals may be a plurality of common signals that are respectively supplied to a plurality of common electrodes of the liquid crystal display apparatus, and the second group of drive signals may be a plurality of segment signals that are respectively supplied to a plurality of segment electrodes of the liquid crystal display apparatus.
By the semiconductor device thus structured in accordance with the present invention, the first group of drive signals which are successively input are supplied to the first group of output terminals and the third group of output terminals in orders that are determined by control signals, respectively. As a result, wirings in a variety of patterns can be provided between the semiconductor device and the image display apparatus, and wirings to the image display apparatus are facilitated. Furthermore, by using the dummy terminals, a stable mounting is realized.